It’s Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW)!

Today marks the start of Mental Health Awareness Week and to celebrate this week we will be focusing this weeks content on Mental Health and Anxiety.  This Thursday is Wear it Green Day and your SPOC’s at each office will be organising local activities for you to take part in!

This year, the Mental Health Foundation (MHF) want to raise awareness of Anxiety. Anxiety is a normal emotion in us all, but sometimes it can get out of control and become a mental health problem.

At LB Group we want you to come to work feeling like the best version of yourself. This includes letting you know that support is available if you, or someone you know, is experiencing anxiety or any other mental health problem.

How does anxiety feel?

It’s normal to get anxious and lots of things can trigger feelings of anxiety. This could include moving house, thinking about money or perhaps a big life event. If you’re anxious, you might:

• find it difficult to concentrate
• have trouble sleeping
• feel a sense of fear or dread
• feel constantly ‘on edge’
• feel restless and irritable

Anxiety can also trigger physical symptoms, such as:

• a fast or irregular heartbeat
• a shortness of breath
• shaking or trembling
• excessive sweating
• feeling sick

Some people might only experience a few symptoms, while others might experience lots. You should speak to your GP if anxiety is affecting your daily life and causing you distress.

Lots of things can lead to feelings of anxiety, including exam pressures, relationships, starting a new job or other big life events. We can also get anxious when it comes to things to do with money and not being able to meet our basic needs, like heating, home or buying food.

If you would like to speak to someone confidentially, all LB employees (who have passed their probation period) have access to Paycare.  Their number is 0800 028 6678. Alternatively, you can access Mind, Samaritans or the Mental Health Foundation.